Sam's Christmas Date
by SGCFan4ever
Summary: After her breakup with Pete, Sam is left with no one to take to her brother's house for Christmas. After her attempts to find a date fail, she must try our favorite General. SamJack! Cowritten with SGFan!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sam's Christmas Date

Summary: After her break-up with Pete, Sam is left with no one to take to her brother's house for Christmas. After her attempts to find a date fail, she must try our favorite General. Sam/Jack! Co-written with SG-Fan!

Authors: SGCFan4ever and SG-Fan!

Setting: Early season eight.

Pairings: Sam/Jack

Rating. This fic is rated T for safety, I'd say more like K +.

Spoilers: All seasons.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights whatsoever to the TV show 'Stargate SG-1.' That show and all related indicia are copyright MGM/UA and Showtime Inc. I am receiving no profit whatsoever from the creation and posting of this story. Thank you.

I co-authored this with my sister, SG-Fan. So, a big thank-you to her!

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all have a great Christmas this year! So, I came up with this story while doing science, actually. Well, at least I was supposed to be doing science, but that's a whole other story. Anyways, I hope you like it as much as I (WE)enjoyed writing it! (SG-Fan: Trust me, people, while it was fun, it's not always easy co-authoring with your sister…)

Chapter 1: An Unpleasant Reminder 

"_Hey Sam, it's Mark. I'm just calling to confirm that you'll be here the twenty-third. Uh… give me a call, and let me know what's going on… Oh! Don't forget to bring your date_!"

**Beep!**

Sam stared aghast at the answering machine. "Oh my God."

----

Carter stepped out of the elevator, her face clearly showing the bad mood she was inWalter was standing there, as if waiting for her, with coffee in his hands.

Coffee. Now _that_ would help her.

"That better be for me," she half joked as she pointed to the steaming cup. She made a mental note to herself to never miss coffee in the morning again.

Walter looked up at her, startled. "Uh, no, ma'am. I'm sorry. I got this for General O'Neill."

The elevator dinged behind her, and the familiar sound of Jack O'Neill's whistling was heard.

"Hey, Carter," said Jack. He took the coffee from Walter, along with several folders that seemed to be spilling with papers.

"Good morning, General," she greeted, turning to face him.

"Do you want me to get you some coffee, ma'am?"

"That's all right, Sergeant, thank you." Sam replied quickly.

"Yes, ma'am." The technician excused himself.

Jack stared at her a moment before holding up his cup of coffee. "Want some?"

"Thank you for the offer, sir," she said, "but I'm good."

He raised an eyebrow. Holding the coffee closer to her face, he let the aroma fill her nostrils. "You sure? There's plenty here. And I'm sure I've got a empty… relatively clean mug in my office."

Sam shook her head as a small smile crept across her face. He knew how to work her. "I'm sure, thank you."

Jack nodded slowly, thinking over his next words. "A hundred percent? I mean, I can always grab another one, or send Walter out for some more. That's another thing I can add to the 'pro' list of being the General around here."

Sam gave him another smile. "I'm sure you have several of those, sir. If you'll excuse me, I have several tests to run."

"Yes, you, go… run your tests… figure how to save the world once again." He gestured towards her lab. "I'll see you later."

----

"Damn it!"

Sam shoved her drawer shut with great force. No coffee in that one either. She could have sworn she had a container of it in there yesterday.

She glanced around the room; looking for any other places she could have stashed it. A moment later she sighed. No luck.

She needed coffee. It wasn't a want- it was a _need_. She knew she would be cranky all day if she didn't get any, and she was too lazy to go down to the commissary.

Spotting a half drunk, cold cup of coffee, left over from the previous day, she debated for a moment... and then quickly inhaled the liquid.

Now she could work. She took a quick glance through her memos and mission assignments before realizing she was supposed to be in a briefing two minutes ago.

As she fled down the corridors of the SGC, her cell phone rang.

She made it into the elevator and quickly answered her phone, thinking it was probably Daniel wondering where she was. She was generally the first person in the briefing room.

"Yeah, Daniel, I'll be there in a minute-"

"This is Mark."

"Oh. Hi," she greeted, pushing the elevator button hard.

"I don't know if you got my message, Carol is bugging me to make sure we're still on for Christmas, something about wanting to have enough food, not that you eat much anyways." Her brother gave a chuckle.

"Yeah, um, sorry I didn't call you back. I'm kinda in a rush today. Yes, I will be coming, and-"

"Good, good," he interrupted. "The kids are bragging to our neighbors kids how their cool aunt is coming up for Christmas, wouldn't want to disappoint them. And I haven't seen my little sis in two years, so, it'll be nice."

Sam smiled at her brother's words. "Aww, thank you. I'm sorry about not coming to visit you in the summer- my work -"

"Sam, you don't need an excuse. I'm family. But I do think you need to quit that job of yours. You have too many talents to waste-"

"Mark," she sighed, "I happen to like my job, thank you very much." She hurried out of the elevator, and practically ran down the halls. "Listen, I've got a briefing to go to, I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, okay. Bye… Oh wait!"

Sam halted outside the conference room. "What?"

"Pete called and told me about your breakup… so, what happened? I thought the two of you were hitting it off pretty well, did you-"

Before Sam had a chance to say anything, she heard her sister-in-law, Carol, shouting at her husband. "Mark! Leave her alone. Tell her she doesn't have to bring anyone."

"Okay, okay…" Mark said quietly. "Hey Sam? Carol said to tell you that you don't have to bring anyone. We can find someone for you, we know several great guys-"

Sam's eyes widened in panic at his words. If Mark picked a guy… "Mark." She sighed, quickly calming herself down. "I uh…" _Just tell him you don't have someone..._

And make him think you can't find a single date?

"Don't worry, Mark," she said sarcastically, "I have someone." And with that she hung up.

What the hell had she just done? Who was she going to bring with her to San Diego?

"You'll have someone, what?"

Sam cringed at the familiar voice. "General."

"What was that all about?" Jack asked, gesturing to the phone.

Sam wondered how much of her conversation he had heard. "Nothing," she answered quickly. "Ready?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

----

Well, what did you think?

We hope you liked it…

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews! My sister and I really enjoyed reading them. (SG-Fan: We did, indeed!)

I hope you like this chapter!

----

Ch 2: If at first you don't succeed… try, try, try, try, try again.

Sam hesitated after her CO left, followed by Teal'c. Gathering up her courage, she turned to Daniel who was gathering up his papers, cheerfully oblivious to her dilemma.

To ask or not to ask…

She really didn't want to. She knew Daniel probably had something he wanted to do over the holidays, but if she showed up at Mark's without a date…

She shuddered at what he would provide. Plus, she had assured her brother she had _someone_. Showing up without 'him' would be unthinkable.

"You okay, Sam?" Daniel questioned; he picked up his folders.

"Yeah," she said quickly, "I'm fine. Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know… you seemed a little…" he shrugged again. "Never mind. I'll see you later," he called over his shoulder.

"Yeah. See ya." She pasted a smile on her face. "Way to go, Sam."

----

Sam stepped out of the elevator and made her way down halls she knew as well as her own home. Maybe better. A minute's brisk walk brought her outside Daniel's lab.

'_What's the big deal?_' she asked herself. '_We're friends. He knows I don't like him like that. We'd go as friends_. _It'd be three days. Four, tops_.'

Carter slowly rapped on his doorframe. The archeologist, bent over a book, called, "Um, yeah, it's open."

She made her way around the packing boxes on the floor. "Is that the book from P2Z-899?"

He looked up and smiled. "Area 51 sent it back," he answered with a childish look of delight on his face. "I guess they're unable to translate a section-"

"And so they turned to the world's foremost expert in Ancient," Sam finished.

Daniel gave her a modest smile. "Did you need something?" he asked as he placed the book on his desk.

"Um…" her fingers tapped on the desk. "I need to ask a favor."

"Sure." He pushed up his glasses. "What can I do?"

'_Oh, just go with me to my brother's house so I can prove to my brother I can get a date'. _

That sounded lame, even to her.

He continued to look at her expectantly.

"Never mind," she said quickly. "I'll…leave you to your book." She gave him a small smile, ignoring the quizzical look on his face. "Bye."

She made it half way back to the elevator before she realized that now she'd have to call her brother… and let him crow.

What had made her accept Mark's invitation in the first place?

Groaning, she turned around and slowly walked back to Daniel's lab. The archeologist was rummaging through a stack of papers, not caring too much that most of them were cascading off his desk.

"Daniel?"

He looked up, his brow creased with surprise. "Sam." He grabbed a stack of papers. "Do you need something?"

Sam took a deep breath. "I was uh… wondering if you had anything planned for Christmas." She quickly added, "Because if you didn't, I was going to invite you to come with me to my brother's house. I guess they're starved for new company."

Daniel's mouth hung open slightly. "Um," he gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Sam, but I promised-"

"You already made plans."

"I can see if maybe-"

"No, no," she instantly said. "No, it's fine. I just uh… thought I should ask, in case you weren't doing anything but, uh… since you are." Sam realized she was starting to ramble. "I gotta go. See you later."

He stared after her retreating form. "O…Kay."

----

'_That went well._'

She sighed as she slapped the button for the control room; the elevator began to rise.

Poor Daniel. He was probably debating whether or not to call Dr. McKenzie and tell him that his best friend was acting weird.

That had to be one of the most humiliating things she had done in a while. She wasn't sure why she found it so- after all, they were friends. It was natural that she'd invite him. But she still cringed at the recollection.

But it would be even more humiliating to show up with no one and prove her brother right. She had no life outside of work.

Then he would give her a long lecture about how she needs to quit her job and get a life.

She sighed.

Who next?

"Teal'c," she answered out loud. She didn't think of Teal'c in the same way her brother was talking about- not Daniel, of course. Teal'c and Daniel were like family. They were closer to her then anyone else had ever been.

He was perfect. Quiet, obliging, available…

Now to find him…

An hour later…

Teal'c wasn't in his quarters or the gym, she had checked the commissary and called the SF's 'up front' to see if he had left base. No.

A passing lieutenant mentioned seeing him head towards level 28, so, here she was, making her way to the control room. As she entered, she saw Teal'c, standing next to Sergeant Harriman.

"Teal'c!" she greeted enthusiastically as he turned around. "I wanted to ask you… where are you going?"

Teal'c, dressed in his Jaffa robes, bowed his head. "Good morning, Colonel Carter. O'Neill has given me the remainder of the month to visit with my family," he explained.

She bit her lip. Now that she thought about it, she remembered him making plans to go to Dakara. "Right," Sam mumbled. "I forgot." She gave him a false smile. "Have a good trip. Take care of yourself."

Teal'c hesitated. "What is it you wish to speak about, Colonel Carter?"

"It-it doesn't matter anymore."

He raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "I was going to invite you to come with me to my brother's house for the holidays- I forgot you were going to Dakara- and…" she trailed off. Great. Strike two.

Teal'c inclined his head." Thank you for the invitation, Colonel Carter. It would have been an honor to meet your brother. Perhaps another next year."

"Yeah. Maybe next time." She gave him a hug. "Merry Christmas."

"The same to you," Teal'c replied, before walking out of the control room and down to the embarkation room.

The Stargate opened activated to Walter's cry of "Chevron seven… locked". (Being too busy listening to their conversation to name off two-through six.) Teal'c gave a slight bow and stepped through the wormhole.

Sam let out a long breath. "Oh boy…" she stared at Walter as he did something on the computer. "Walter… did you have any plans for Christmas?" Hey, she'd already made a big enough fool of herself, why not ask any guy?

Walter spun in his chair to face the Colonel. "Uh- sorry, Colonel, I'm spending Christmas with my family." He gave her a genuinely regretful look.

Sam nodded, not surprised. "Okay," As she turned to leave she spotted Siler. It had been a few days since she had seen the technician- he had received a nasty shock a few weeks ago. Giving him a friendly smile, she greeted him. "Hey, Siler-"

"I've got plans as well, sorry," he interrupted nervously.

Carter blinked. Even better. Turned down by four guys in an hour. What a thing for a girl's ego. "Hope you both have fun," she managed to get out before retreating to the infirmary,

"Is she okay?" Siler asked, moving over to Walter.

Walter shrugged. "I have no idea…"

----

"-and that's when I decided to ask Walter, not that I was even serious in taking him. Did you know he had a family?"

Janet Fraiser shook her head as her best friend told her all about her day. She would have never imagined Sam of all people, technically asking three guys out and getting turned down _four_ times. _Siler_ turned her down. Not that Sam had meant to invite him… "Wow. Talk about a bad day."

Sam nodded. "I know." She buried her face into her hands and let out a long sigh. "All of this because my brother. I just didn't want to prove him right, you know? You're not supposed to let your older brother be right for everything."

The doctor leaned across the infirmary bed and gave Sam a hug. "I know what you mean. You're just having one of those days everyone gets all the time."

Sam nodded glumly. "Yeah…" she muttered. "I just don't want to show my face around for a while. By now the whole base probably knows."

"Sam," Janet said gently, proud of herself for not laughing. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure this will all blow over in no time at all."

----

"Did you hear Colonel Carter asked me to her brother's house?"

Jack O'Neill looked up pizza on his tray. Glancing at Siler, he prepared to butt in and defend his favorite scientist. There was no way his second-in-command would do that. As he started to say something, Walter started talking.

"Siler, I was right there, if you remember. And, if you think back, she asked Teal'c first, then me, _then_ you…"

Jack thought he was going to cough up everything he had eaten that day. Carter invited those geeks? And Teal'c?

She had invited Teal'c? Was there something he should know that he didn't?

He thought for a moment. _Nah_… He stood up, prepared to return his tray-

"Actually," Siler began, "I heard she actually asked Dr. Jackson first. I wonder what's going on with her…"

The sound of a tray crashing behind them make the both of them look back, to see an abandoned tray and one missing General…

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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	3. Chapter 3

Aloha!

Thank you so much for the reviews! We really enjoyed reading them!

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Ch 3: The final asking...

Jack poked his head into the archeologist office. "Daniel?" He looked around. "Yoohoo… Daniel… You in here?"

"Just a minute!"

Jack stepped into the room, looking around at the several boxes on the floor. "You movin'?"

Daniel stepped out of the shadows. He pushed his glasses up as he walked over to his friend. "Hey Jack," he greeted absently. "Area 51 couldn't translate all this, so they sent it back."

"Ahh." Jack turned to eye his desk, covered with various tablets and scrolls. He picked up the smallest. Daniel took it away.

"Do you need something, Jack?"

"What do you mean?" Jack questioned, turning to face Daniel. "I need a reason to come by?"

"You generally have one."

The General picked up a crystal covered with strange looking symbols. "I do?"

"Jack, please don't mess with that."

He returned it to its wooden box. "Daniel… has Carter been acting strangely?"

"What do you mean?" the archeologist questioned.

"I mean, not her normal self, acting like someone else, um… take your pick."

Daniel hesitated. "She asked you out too?"

So it _was_ true. She _had_ asked him out.

"It's not like her," he evaded. "Asking guys out."

"Guys?" Daniel raised an eyebrow. "She wanted to know if I had plans and if not, if I'd like to come to her brother's house."

The General absorbed the new information. "You said no?"

"I already had plans."

"Oh…" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Who with?"

"It's really none of your business, Jack."

Jack stacked the tablets, despite Daniel's halfhearted attempt to stop him, and perched on the edge of the desk. "Since when is it none of my business who my friend dates, Daniel?"

"Since now."

"Hmm…" Jack grinned. "The archeologist on SG-12?"

"Jack-"

"The new nurse?"

"You said Sam was asking out other people?" Daniel tried to bring the conversation to safer ground. "Who else?" He grabbed a scroll that had started to roll off the desk.

"According to Walter, she's asked you, Teal'c, Siler and himself out."

The archeologist looked up at that. "She didn't invite you?"

Jack grimaced. He hadn't meant to let Daniel know that little fact. "No, Daniel, she hasn't."

"Though you _are_ her commanding officer," Daniel mused. "Maybe she thought that it would be improper to invite you. Or that you have other plans."

"What's wrong with us spending Christmas together?" Jack demanded. "We're coworkers and, I like to think, friends."

"Why don't you talk to Sam about it?"

Jack didn't say anything; he merely rapped his knuckles a few times on the desk and left.

**----**

"3:30?" Sam hastily scrawled the time down on the pad of paper. She had called to confirm her travel arrangements; something that she had been trying to do for the past hour. "Yes, thank you. Yes, I'll hold."

General O'Neill strolled into her lab; she looked up to see what he wanted, but his face remained expressionless.

"Sir?" she mouthed. He shook his head and gestured to the phone.

"Flight 827 at 1550 hours…" she dropped her pencil. "All right. Merry Christmas to you too." Sam closed her phone. "General, can I help you?"

Jack hesitated. Though he would have never admitted it, he had been secretly hoping that she would ask him. After all, it was perfectly logical. They had been friends for years. Maybe even more then-

_Whoa, Jack. That's a no-no subject._

"Ahh, just came to check up on you." He was about to mention the rumors he had heard but decided against it. "See how you're doing…"

"I'm fine. Thank you, sir." There was a preoccupied air on her face. She was frantically running through all the people she knew that she could bring. She was reminding herself of her best friend growing up. Her friend did anything and everything to get a date.

Too bad Martouf wasn't around anymore…

"You sure?" He asked again. "I mean, I know you're quite capable of knowing your state of mind, but-"

"Sir?"

"Whatcha doin' for Christmas?"

Sam sucked in her breath. "I'm going to my brother's house this year. Dad was supposed to have come with me, but then, you know, things happen, and he can't right now, so…" She gave him a small smile.

"Yeah..."

Jacob was on some top secret Tok'ra mission again; he had contacted them a week ago, telling Carter he wouldn't be able to show up this year. "You taking someone with you?" He knew it was blatant but the words had already slipped out. "I heard you on the phone outside the briefing room telling someone you'd find someone…"

"Oh! That? Uh- it was… wasn't-" She was rambling again, what was wrong with her today? "That wasn't important, about something else."

"Oh…"

"Yeah." She swallowed. "So, what are you doing for Christmas?"

Was she going to ask him? Should he come up with a really pathetic excuse? "Me? The usual, put up my Charlie Brown Christmas tree, roast hotdogs, drink cold beer." _More like drown my sorrows of loneliness in beer… _

"Sounds like fun," she said cheerfully.

Was she serious? Who could ever have fun alone on Christmas day? "Oh yeah, a blast." He put as much sarcasm in his voice as he possibly could.

Sam smiled. "Well…" he still hadn't told her the real reason he was here. "I should probably be getting-"

Jack wasn't going to leave that easily. He was desperate now. It was turning into a game for him, he wanted, needed to go with her. Why wasn't she asking him? She asked _Siler!_ "You driving there?" Was she driving there? How stupid was that! Course she wasn't! He'd just heard her on the phone talking about her flight plans!

"No, no, I'm flying this time." She glanced around her lab awkwardly.

Okay. She obviously wasn't going to invite him. "Okay, well, you have fun with your family... I guess I'll see you when you get back." He turned to leave. "Bye."

"Good bye, sir," she said automatically, her mind wandering everywhere. After several moments, it finally hit her. "General!"

Jack, nearly at the elevator, stopped in his tracks. Spinning on his heels, he turned to her. "Yeah?"

"Since you're not spending Christmas with anyone…" The words seemed stuck in her mouth. "I mean, since you don't have any other plans, would you like to join me?" She quickly continued, "I told my brother I was bringing a friend and-"

"Carter!" He waited until she quieted before saying, "I would love to."

"Really? I mean- that'd be great!" She smiled nervously. "I'll be leaving the twenty-third."

"Okie dokes."

She gave him another smile. "See you later, sir."

He nodded. The elevator opened and he stepped in. It wasn't until the doors closed that he allowed himself to grin widely.

He was going to San Diego (with Carter) for Christmas!

----

We're trying to get the next update out by Tuesday.

I hope you liked it!

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the reviews!!

A/N: Hi! Sorry about the delay… my whole family has been throwing up for the past few days (ten people, including us), which didn't leave us with much time for writing. Here's the chapter… sorry about any rushed sections. Hope you like it!

**Chapter 4: Getting ready… **

_The next day, December 22st, 06 _

Sam dropped her pile of underwear into her duffle bag, doing her best to squeeze into the small space she had. When she had gone down to the basement earlier to retrieve her suitcase, she had been unable to find it. Only her little duffle bag remained.

She threw in several blouses and a sundress. Mark had assured her that California was warm.

Mark… Her brother had called earlier. _Again_. Just to make sure that she_ did _have a date. When she told him she had, he began to question her about who he was, and what he meant to her. She tried to tell her brother they were 'just friends', but, being Mark, he didn't buy it.

She rummaged through her drawers, searching for her favorite pair of jeans.

She had asked General O'Neill to come with her.

What on earth had possessed her?

She reached for the remaining pile of clothes on the bed, only to knock over her coffee mug that she had stupidly left on the headboard. "Damn!" She muttered, reaching over and sweeping up the now coffee-stained clothing. Shaking her head, she pulled over her blankets and made her way to the laundry room; her phone rang.

Abandoning the clothes and blankets, she hurried to answer it. "Colonel Carter."

"Hey! Sam, this is Janet."

"Oh! Hi," Sam greeted, moving back to her mountain of dirty laundry. "What's up?"

"What's this I hear about you and General O'Neill?" Her friend blurted. "Going to your brother's house… together?"

Sam's mouth hung open. "How did you hear about that?" She demanded. She seriously doubted that General O'Neill would have said anything about the 'date'- as some people would call it.

"The whole S.G.C knows. _I_ was the last one to find out. Again. I take it that the rumor mill was correct?

Sam sighed as she threw the laundry into the washer machine. "Yes, it's true. I would have invited you, but… I kinda told my brother that I was bringing a guy, before the whole Pete thing happened."

"Oh! Yeah! No, I perfectly understand." Janet said. "Actually, I already made plans, so it wouldn't have mattered."

"Okay, I just-… wait a minute, you have plans?" Sam's eyes widened as she poured in the soap. "Who with?"

There was a small nervous chuckle on the other end. "So, it's true though, you're taking-"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute, don't try and change the subject. You have a date! I know for a fact that Cassie will not be coming home for Christmas. So, who's the guy?"

"Who said it had to be a guy?"

Sam grinned. "That's great, Janet. I think it's really good for you to go out with-"

"Sam!" Janet interrupted. "It's not like I've never had a date before…"

"I know, but…" She stopped. "Come on, Janet! Who is it?"

"You know him."

"So it is a he!"

Janet sighed. "Yes, it's a he. That's a must. Now, will you stop pestering me; I have work to finish. I'll talk to you when you get back."

Sam smiled. "Okay, and we _will_ talk. You have a great Christmas."

Janet laughed. "All right, you too, take care of yourselves!"

Sam turned off the phone. So Janet was dating… and she knew him…

Siler???

She started the washer.

All that mattered right now was that tomorrow, at 1000 hours, she and her commanding officer would be on their way to California.

**---- **

Jack whistled as he headed upstairs with his basket of freshly laundered clothing.

He couldn't believe Carter had actually invited him! Not, he admitted, that he had given her much choice.

What had possessed _him_?

Sure, he'd get to spend several days with his favorite scientist, meet her family…

But…

He realized that him going was probably not the brightest of plans. He… and Carter… together, alone (for the most part) for the next few days…

Was Carter only inviting him because four other men had turned her down? He didn't like thinking about that, so he quickly shoved the thought away.

He didn't get too far in his packing before his cell phone rang. With a soft sigh, he dug into his pockets to answer it. "General O'Neill," he barked.

"General, sir," began Walter.

"Yes, Walter?"

"You have a briefing in ten minutes. You asked me to remind you."

Jack dropped the boxers he was folding. "Oh. Right."

"General?"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes, Walter."

"Sir-"

"Get them some… doughnuts or something."

"Doughnuts?" Walter asked. "Right! Yes sir!"

Jack nodded to himself and hung up.

He so did not want to go to the SGC right now. But he couldn't cancel the briefing. He'd done that too many times this week. Anyways, he needed to let Reynolds's know he would be in charge while he was gone. Fortunately he knew the Colonel didn't have any plans.

With a sigh he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door.

**---- **

Sam found herself unusually restless that night. Generally, on Earth, she was able to drop off to sleep in just a few minutes. Provided that Earth wasn't in grave peril and everyone depended on her to save the day.

But tonight…

Her cell phone rang. She reached for it. "Carter."

"Hey, Carter, hope I didn't wake you. I was calling to ask you- what time is that flight tomorrow?"

"It departs at 1200 hours sir, but we need to be there two hours earlier."

"Do we have too?" he groaned.

"I doubt they would refuse to let a General onboard."

"Okay then. See you later."

"Good night, sir."

She hung up and placed her phone back on the nightstand. Two minutes later, she was fast asleep.

**---- **

_December 23d, 06_

The Colonel impatiently glanced at her watch for the tenth time that minute.

He should have been here by now. Where was he?

Sam sighed as she scanned the area once more for any signs of General O'Neill. What could have happened? Did he decide not to go after all? Wouldn't he let her know first? Of course he would. He wasn't the kind of man who'd just leave a girl hanging without telling her why.

She began to drum her fingers on her suitcase. The plane was to begin boarding in five minutes, and he still hadn't checked in. Just as she was about to call him again, a voice interrupted her.

"Carter!"

Sam turned around and spotted Jack pushing through a large crowd of kids, pulling his suitcase closely behind him.

She let out a breath of relief.

"Sorry I'm late," the General apologized as he hurried over to her. "It was a nightmare briefing Colonel Reynolds. And then there was a ton of traffic, and you wouldn't believe it, already three accidents today." He stopped in front of her and smiled. "But I made it!"

Sam gave him a small smile back. "Barely."

"Well, made it is made it, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Okay, let's get one thing straight. On this trip you will not call me 'sir'. We're off duty, call me Jack, okay?"

Sam hesitated before nodding. "All right, Jack, but only if you call me Sam."

"Deal."

As she stepped into the plane she thought, '_Maybe this won't be so bad after all…'_

----

Hope you all enjoyed it!

We'll try and update before Christmas, but just in case we don't, I hope you all have an awesome Christmas!

Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Hi!

The delay of this chapter was mine (SG-Fan's) fault. (Happy, 'lyn?) In my defense, I was sick and gone away most of the past two weeks.

Anyways… I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 5: The plane ride over… **

"Sir, please take your seat."

Jack glanced at the flight attendant, closed the compartment above him, and dropped into his seat. She smiled her thanks and moved on.

"Carter," he drawled, surveying the nearly filled cabin. "How come we didn't just take a jet?"

Sam flinched as the man next to her accidentally elbowed her. After accepting his apologies, she answered, "Because, si-" she caught herself. "_Jack_, Derrick, my nephew, wanted to explore the airport," she explained. "And Mark bought my ticket for me- a early birthday present."

"I see." He looked at her. "Tell me more about your family."

"Yes, si-" She broke off and gave him a sheepish smile. "It's harder then I thought it'd be- 'Sir just slips out."

"You can do it, Sam." He grinned at her. "He has two kids?"

"Yes. Emily and Derrick. Emily is twelve, Derrick ten."

"What do they like to do?"

She slowly smiled. "Emily races go-carts."

"Go-carts?"

She nodded. "Go-carts. She's the champ at their club. Derrick wants to be a pilot."

"Air force?" Jack questioned.

"Possibly."

"Bet Mark's real happy about that."

She gave a wry chuckle. "You have no idea." She was about to say more when the man next to her cleared his throat purposely. When she glanced at him, he offered his hand.

"Edward Cleese, ma'am."

Sam unconsciously looked at Jack before slowly answering, "Colonel Samantha Carter." She dropped his fingers.

"A Colonel? Air Force, I bet?" He winked. "I heard you and your dad talking," he stage whispered.

Sam arranged her face into a neutral mask, torn between wanting to giggle- she could her CO sputtering- and annoyance. "He's not my father," she said, "but he _is_ a _very_ good friend."

Edward Cleese was prevented from answering by the Captain announcing take-off. Sam thankfully leaned back in her seat and idly wished that _she_ could be flying.

"So Sam," Jack started once they were in the air, "Mark's wife-"

"Your friends call you Sam?" He slicked back his hair. "Well, Sam, tell me- do you have a boyfriend?"

Sam blinked, dumbfounded.

"That's really a very sexy look," Edward said admiringly.

She had never thought she would meet someone else that she could compare McKay too… and have McKay _win_.

Jack leaned over and said conversationally, "I think you might want to move to that empty seat in the back row." He gestured to it.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Her boyfriend," came the bland reply. "_General _Jack O'Neill."

Edward looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is-is he serious?" he sputtered.

Sam managed to nod. "Didn't I say so?"

"Cue… _moving_…" Jack said slowly; only an idiot wouldn't have heard the threat underlying it. Cursing, he stood up and moved to the seat Jack had pointed out. The General settled back into the seat. "Good."

**---**

Of course the cute flight attendant _had_ to be named Lisa Marge and liked The Simpson's. And her CO.

Sam struggled to keep a pleasant smile on her face; after all, she had invited her CO merely as a friend. Despite what he had informed the creep earlier, they were _not_ dating.

Lisa Marge handed Sam her diet coke, her eyes never leaving the General. She laughed at something Jack said, revealing a mouthful of even white teeth.

The Colonel tried to focus on the movie playing but she couldn't. Stealing another glance to her left, she noted the way the young woman's fingers lingered on Jack's after she passed him his drink.

Enough's enough… 

"Jack," Sam began casually, scooting almost imperceptivity closer to him, "do you think Teal'c would like this movie?"

Lisa Marge gave a mental sigh as he turned to the beautiful woman next to him and they began talking.

Figures. The cutest guy on the airline and he _had_ to have a girlfriend.

**---**

"You couldn't get us a non-stop flight, Carter?" Jack grumbled as they trudged down the halls of the Salt Lake City International Airport.

"I tried to- there were none." She glanced around; crowds of people were everywhere. "It's the holiday season, sir."

"Ah!"

"Carter, sir?"

He slowly grinned. "Sam it is."

"Yes, Jack."

"Wanna grab something to eat?" The General looked around. "Plane food isn't exactly nourishing."

She grinned back. "That sounds good."

**---**

Sam realized over her salad how nice it was to talk to her CO like this. Occasionally, there were team nights when after Daniel had fallen asleep and Teal'c had gone to kelnoreem when they would talk for a while. Those talks had grown increasingly rare after his promotion and after she became to Pete, nonexistent.

It wasn't that they talked about anything really deep- they touched on sports, various alien races and customs, dogs- but nothing involved her saving the planet again.

It was… normal. A good normal.

Sometimes it was nice to be normal.

"Sam."

She looked up; Jack stood next to her, his coat in hand. "They called our flight," he explained. "You okay?"

Sam nodded as she stood up. "Yeah, I'm fine." She smiled as he handed her her coat. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Together they entered the plane; Jack did a double take.

Chattering teenagers filled nearly all the seats.

"What the hell are they doing?" He asked as he placed their coats in the compartments. Sam smiled.

"They're probably just a group of teens flying to California to spend Christmas break at the beach." Jack stepped back and allowed her to take the window seat. "Thank you."

Someone tossed a paper ball; Jack automatically leaned over Carter and caught it. He tossed it back to the boy who had tossed it.

"Aww, that's so cute," one girl whispered to her friend. "How long do you think they've been married?"

Sam reddened and pulled out her book. "Just an hour, sir, and we'll be in San Diego."

**---**

"Mark said he'd meet us in the baggage claim," Sam began once the plane landed. She checked herself on the mini mirror she carried. "And the kids of course."

Jack rather looked forward to meeting 'the kids'. Any niece or nephew of Carter's had to be smart. He wondered- did she send them copies of Wormhole Physics for their birthdays?

"No, s-Jack, I don't." Sam closed her purse. "It's _A Beginner's Guide to Astrophysics_."

A slow smiled spread across his face. "Of course it is," he agreed. "Lead the way."

The minute Carter stepped into the baggage claim, there was a cry of 'Aunt Sam' and two squealing children launched at her. She managed to brace herself before they made contact. Mark ambled towards them, a neutral look on his face as he glanced at Jack.

This'll be fun… 

The kids pulled away from their aunt and turned their inquisitive eyes upon them.

"Who're you?" the boy asked, cocking his head in a way that reminded him of Teal'c.

"Jack O'Neill." He held out his hand. The boy grasped it.

"I'm Derrick."

"I'm Emily," the girl piped up. Jack glanced at her. He vaguely remembered seeing a picture of her as a little girl. The tween resembled her aunt greatly now- she had the same blond hair, blue eyes and bright smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Emily."

She dimpled. "Are you Aunt Sam's boyfriend?"

Sam, in the process of greeting her brother, froze. "No," she said hastily. "We're very good friends."

"We work together," Jack added.

"You're her CO." Mark crossed his arms. "Mark Carter."

"Jack O'Neill."

The two men nodded at each other, still eying each other warily.

_Men._

"Come on, kids," she called, "help me grab the luggage."

As she knew it would, both men broke eye contact and reached for the suitcases as they appeared.

"So where's Carol?" Sam asked her brother. "Is she feeling all right?"

Mark started to answer but Emily interrupted. "She wanted to make sure the house was perfect." She pouted. "We cleaned _all day_ yesterday! Look at my hands!"

The tanned little hands didn't seem worse for the wear. The Colonel grinned. "Well, thank you then."

"She bribed us," Derrick candidly admitted. "We went and got ice cream and then to the fun center and raced 'carts."

"I want to race cars when I'm older," Emily confided to Jack. "But dad doesn't like the idea."

Jack looked at the small, petite girl. He could easily see not wanting his daughter to race a big car at several hundred miles per hour. "Is that so?"

"When she was seven, she drove her first go-cart- she floored the thing as fast as it would go- and didn't crash." Mark groaned. "If only I had known…"

"Cheer up, dad," she said cheerfully. "'Manda wanted to race cars too but now she has a boyfriend so… maybe if I get one, I won't want to race anymore."

Sam saw the sly twinkle in her niece's eye. Emily knew how to push her parent's buttons.

"No boyfriends until you're eighteen," Mark said firmly. "No exceptions."

Emily glanced at her aunt. "Every time he says that, mom just laughs at him. 'Girls grow up, Mark… and _date_'. Danny Shanks in my Social Studies class is pretty cute…"

"Let's go home," was all her father said.

**---**

"Carol, we're home!"

The ride to the Carter's house had been anything but quiet. Derrick and Emily had filled their aunt on what had happened in their lives in the past two years since she been there in the twenty minutes it took to arrive at their home.

Jack stepped into the house after a gentle push from Sam. Carol immerged from the kitchen.

"Samantha!"

Sam smiled. "Hi, Carol." She hugged her sister-in-law and stepped back. "Um, this is Jack O'Neill. He's a _friend_."

Carol gave a sage nod. "Jack, I'm Carol. Welcome to our home."

Carol Carter was short, slightly plump, with sandy colored hair, bright green eyes and a warm smile.

Jack liked her immediately. "It's nice to meet you."

"Come on, come on!" Each child seized a newcomer. "We'll show you the house- we redecorated!"

After a hasty tour of the house (pulled on by the two enthusiastic kids), he was shown both the children's rooms.

Derrick's room reflected his obsession. Models, posters, and other bits of memorabilia filled the room. Emily's looked well lived in. CD cases and movie boxes littered the room, while posters of her favorite movie stars covered the wall, along with several NASCAR drivers.

As they were led back to the living room, Jack braced himself for the 'interrogation' he knew Mark was about to begin.

"Coffee?" Carol offered.

"Actually, we need to get to our hotel," Sam said, glancing at Jack. "We need to check in or we lose our rooms." She looked at her brother. "Can I use the Toyota?"

He handed her the keys. "Come back soon," he said, looking meaningfully at Jack.

Sam glared at her brother. "Behave," she hissed as soon as her CO left the room.

"I am!" He looked at his wife. "Right?"

Carol smiled. "We'll see you later, Sam."

**---**

"How can I help you?"

Sam stepped up to the counter. "Hi," she said with a smile, "I have two rooms reserved for Samantha Carter."

"All righty." The male employee whose tag named 'Dustin' typed her name into the computer. "Um," he started a moment later. "Samantha Carter? C-a-r-t-e-r?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but I'm afraid I don't have any rooms for a Samantha Carter. Or any rooms, in fact."

"_No_ rooms?" Sam looked incredulously at the employee.

"It's the holiday season, ma'am." He gave her an apologetic smile. "We're all booked."

"I had reservations though-"

"I'm sorry, ma'am. There must've been a computer error." He typed something into the computer and shook his head. "There are no rooms available."

Sam looked at her CO. "This was the only hotel with rooms available when I called the other day."

Jack massaged his neck. "You mean…?"

"Yep." She gave him a small smile. "Looks like we'll be staying with my brother this Christmas."

---

Well, we hope you liked it!

Happy New Year!

Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hi everyone thanks for all the reviews, as always, we really enjoyed them!

**Chapter 6: More of Mark…**

The car ride back to Mark's house was made in silence.

Jack wondered what her brother would think about him staying in his house. After all, Mark didn't seem to like him very much (he was, after all, a big brother.). Being in that close proximity to a protective cop didn't sound like a lot of fun. Also… where was he going to sleep? Sleeping on the flood at his age… not the best for his back-

"We're here… Jack." Sam caught herself before she let 'sir' slip out again. She turned of the engine of Carol's blue minivan. "And Mark said it was warm," she muttered, rubbing her hands together.

Jack opened the door, letting the cold night air come over him. "I'll get the suitcases," he offered, heading back to the trunk, which Sam quickly popped open.

Sam stepped out of the car and pulled her jacket tighter. "I can take that, thank you," she said, reaching over for her suitcase.

Jack shut the trunk and turned back to the two-story house, covered in flashing Christmas lights. "Nice job with the lights,."

Sam nodded and looked at it. "Mark does his best. He competes with the neighbor." She pointed to the house on their left that was similarly bedecked in lights."

Jack followed his former second-in-command up the icy pathway. "Looks like Mark won this year."

"Yep." Sam pushed the doorbell and sighed. "They have one guest bedroom and a couch that folds into a bed, so we should be okay."

"I'll take the couch," Jack said quickly, shifting the suitcase from one hand to the other; it slipped from his hands. He reached for it and slipped; he would have hit the ground if the blond Colonel had not grabbed his arms. He started to stand up but fell, taking Carter down with him.

The two of them burst into laughter.

Of course, Mark Carter chose that moment to pull the door open.

"God, Sam!" The cop cried. "Are you okay? What happened?" He grabbed her cold hands and pulled her up.

Sam was still laughing as she made it onto her feet. "I'm fine, Mark." She gasped for breath. "I was just trying to help Jack; we-" she broke off into another fit of laughter.

Mark turned to Jack and glared. With a forced concerned voice, he asked, "You okay?"

Jack knew that look all too well, but he chose to ignore it this time. He wasn't about to let Mark Carter of all people, ruin his Christmas. "I'm fine, thanks," he said, pushing himself off the thin layer ice.

Mark turned back to his sister. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you were going to go to the hotel."

"We were," Sam said, catching her breath. "But there was a computer error- they gave our rooms to someone else. I was wondering if we could use the guest room?"

Mark eyed his little sister suspiciously. "Sam, I have young impressionable children."

Sam stared at her brother. "Mark!" She hissed. "You…_No_! What I _meant _was that I'd sleep in the guest room, while the Gen- Jack sleeps on the pullout bed… in the living room." She scowled at her brother.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course you guys can. Come in, it's freezing out here!" He opened the door wider for the two air force officers as they shuffled into the warm house…

----

Carol quickly retrieved fresh sheets from the hallway closer for the rarely used guest room; she ensured there were sufficient blankets of varying weights and several spare pillows for General O'Neill.

"There we go," she said as she came back into the living room with her hands full of linen. "I think we have enough this time."

"Thank you, Carol- you didn't have to go through all that work. I'm sure it would have been fine," Sam said as she leaned over and hugged her sister-in-law.

Carol smiled. "You're welcome." She smoothed her skirt. "Now, dinner won't be ready for another thirty minutes- did you want to take a shower and freshen up? Sam? Jack?"

Jack straightened. "I'm fine right now, thanks. Maybe later."

"Mom!" A voice cried. "Derrick's messing with my stuff again!"

Carol excused herself.

Sam hesitated before standing up. "I think I could use a shower."

Jack looked up at the scientist, trying hard not to give her the 'pleading' eyes. The truth was, he didn't want to be left alone with Mark.

He was a cop and a Carter. Need he say more?

Sam gave her CO a small smile. "It'll be quick," she added before leaving the room.

The General watched as Sam left the room. He let out a long sigh.

"So, O'Neill…" Mark leaned back in his seat, his eyes fastened on Jack's face. "What's going on between you and my sister?"

Of course, he'd ask _that_ first. Jack started to answer but Mark continued, "A week ago my sister was about to become engaged to Pete Shanahan, a nice respectable cop. Were you the one that made her break it off?"

_Made_? Did he not know his own sister? He doubted he could _make_ Carter do anything outside of work. It _was_ her life-

"Because Pete happens to be my best friend," Mark continued. "I could trust him. I don't know you; my little sister's never talked about you before. Did she just pick you off the street or what?"

"_What_?" Jack couldn't help but feel somewhat hurt, even if it was from a Carter. "I've know Carter for years. We work together. I wasn't doing anything for the holiday so she invited me to come."

Mark's eyes narrowed. "Wait," he said slowly, "I _have_ heard of you… dad mentioned you once. O'Neill… _General_ O'Neill. You're Sam's boss."

Jack simply nodded.

"What do you make?"

"What?" Jack asked, clearly surprised. The last time someone asked how much he got paid, he was asking Sara's father for permission to date her.

"You heard me," Mark barked. "If you have any intentions of dating my sister. I want to know that you're able to provide-"

"No!" Jack took a deep breath; he explained to a surprised looking male Carter, "Carter and I are both military. You can't date your subordinates."

"You mean you would if you could?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"That's really none of your business," he said levelly.

"How much?"

"More then enough."

Mark paused, nodding slowly. "Do you have a criminal record?"

_Yeah, sure, I go shoot harmless children everyday- who does he think I am? _Jack cleared his throat. "No." _At least not on this planet!_

"Single? Ever married?"

"Divorced," came his terse answer.

"Why?"

"Personal reasons."

"You cheat on her?"

Jack leaned forward, his eyes meeting Mark's. "No, I did not. As I said, _personal _reasons."

"Are you dating anyone?"

"That's none of your business." He waited a moment before adding, "But no- I'm not." Jack cocked his head. "Anything else?"

"I just want to make one thing clear," Mark said quietly. "You screw with my sister… and you'll wish you hadn't."

"I'd never do anything to hurt Carter," was Jack's sincere rely.

Mark nodded and stood up. "Well," he said, "since we're clear…"

"On what?"

They both glanced at the doorway; the blond scientist stood there, shaking the water out of her damp hair.

Mark offered her a smile. "We're just chatting… getting to know each other better."

Sam turned to Jack. "I see…"

Jack stood up as well. "Yeah…" He turned to Mark and slapped him across the back, a little harder then he should have. "Great bonding time. We should do it again."

"Dinner!" Carol called.

With a slight grin, he followed Sam into the dining room.

-----

"So, Jack," Carol began, looking up from her plate of food, "Why aren't you spending Christmas with your family this year?"

Jack looked up from the homemade pizza he was about to put into his mouth. Setting it back down on the plate, he turned to Carol. "My parents both passed away when I younger. I have no other relatives." He gave a sad smile. He didn't think he needed to bring up the ex-wife and dead son.

Carol nodded understandingly. "Yeah, I don't have any family left on my side either. It's just Sam and her dad, but he's away all the time now- we hardly see them."

"Don't forget uncle Irving!" Emily shouted, her mouth full of pizza. She turned to Jack and swallowed her food. "He's the coolest uncle anyone could have!"

The name Irving triggered a memory for Jack. He turned to Sam. "Wasn't that the guy Urgo reminded you of?" he asked quietly.

Sam grinned as she reached for her soda. "Yeah… Uncle Irving… God I miss him! I don't think I've seen him in years!"

"It's because you work too hard."

Sam sighed, obviously tired of her older brother's comments on her job.

"I'm sorry," Mark apologized after a pointed look from Carol. "It's none of my business, but-"

"Dad," Derrick interrupted, pushing away his empty place. "We're going to be late."

"We're still eating, Derr, we'll do it another day," his father promised, chewing his crust.

"But, dad!" Emily exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You promised! You promised you'd take us! You can't back out now! Shelby's waiting for us!"

"And Jesse!" Derrick cried. "We told them we'd be there at seven-"

"And you always said that it's rude to back out!" Emily flashed him a bright smile. "Please?"

Mark sighed and glanced at his wife. After a moment, he leaned back in his chair and nodded. "Okay, we're only going to be there for an hour. Got it?"

Emily grinned. "Thanks Dad." Pushing her chair away from the table, she started up the stairs. "I'm going to go get ready!"

"Excuse me," Sam started. "I hate to butt in, but… where are we going?"

----

"_Strike!_"

"I didn't know you bowled, Carter," Jack remarked admiringly as he looked at the fallen pins.

She blushed slightly. "I don't- not really. When I was younger, Mark would take me along with him and his friends."

"Only because dad made me," Mark grumbled, readying his ball. He bowled; seven pins knocked over. "At first, the guys'd go easy on her… and after she started kicking their asses, they figured they better bowl their best."

"And I still kicked ass." She grinned as she watched her brother's ball sail harmlessly between the three remaining pins.

Emily scowled as her ball rolled into the gutter. "Damn."

"Emily," her mother warned. The girl nodded.

"Sorry," she muttered. She bowled again and took out six pins. "Higher then Jesse got!"

Jesse, short and fair-haired, frowned. "You stole my ball and threw it for me."

Derrick stared at his friend. "Dude, she does that _every time_ we go bowlin'. You'd think that by now, you would have learned to pay attention."

Emily's friend Shelby giggled. "He's too busy daydreaming-"

"Shh!" Emily hissed as she jabbed her friend in the side with her elbow. "Dad's here!"

Jack watched with amusement at the exchange. "Are they always like this?" he asked Carol. The mother nodded.

"Friends since kindergarten." Carol pointed to the computer screen. "Your turn, Jack." She leaned closer to him. "You a good bowler?"

He shrugged. "I'm fair- why?"

"No one has beaten Sam in a long time- not even _Jacob_ can… and he told me he practices when he can."

Jack suddenly had a mental image of the Tok'ra practicing bowling down the crystalline halls. "And you want me to beat her?"

Carol gave him a small smile. "If you can."

He glanced at the computer screen. Sam was in the lead with a strike while Jesse was last with four.

_He could do it._

Picking up his ball, he made his way to the floor. Four quick steps later, he launched the ball.

_Strike._

With a grin, he glanced at Carter. She was smiling… a calculating smile he had never seen before.

"Oooh," Emily stage whispered, "Mr. O'Neill, you're in _trou-ble_!"

"Let the games begin," was all Carter said.

---

"And it's _another_ strike!"

Emily and Shelby looked at each other. "Is this ever going to end?" Shelby whispered. Emily shrugged and looked at the screen.

Da Rick: 78

Jesse: 61

Shelby: 64

Carol: 92

Sam: 220

Mark: 193

Emily: 53

Jack: 210

"We were supposed to bowl for an hour," Emily muttered. "But then dad didn't lose as fast as he normally does… he doesn't usually get that many strikes-"

A muted crow made them both look up. Mark, with a grimace, dropped into the seat next to his wife. "Well," he sighed, "at least I made it to two hundred!"

His new score flashed on the screen. His wife kissed his cheek. "That you did, dear."

"How long have we been bowling?" he asked.

"Two whole hours," Emily moaned. "Shelby and I are _starving_."

"Oh, shut up," Derrick said cheerfully as he watched his new hero bowl a strike. "This is great!"

Sam slipped past her CO and gave her nephew a mock frown as she prepared to bowl. "What a family I have-"

She stopped as her ball slipped from her hands and flew down the alley; six of the ten pins fell down.

"Damn," she muttered.

Her CO sauntered over to the balls and grabbed his own. "It all comes down to this one…"

He released his ball. A second later, he cried out triumphantly, "Nine! I win!"

"You're the man!" the boys cried, high-fiving him. Carol winked at Jack. Mark gave a small nod.

"Congratulations, sir," Sam said reluctantly. He grinned at her.

"Winner buys all the losers ice cream?" he offered.

The children exchanged glances. "Sounds fair to me!" Derrick cheered.

---

Half past ten, the family stumbled into the house, the adults heavy-eyed while Derrick and Emily bounded up the stairs, chattering as they readied for bed.

"I'm getting too old for this," Mark grumbled s he followed his wife to their room.

"Just wait until they get older," was Carol's wry reply before they disappeared out of sight.

Sam and Jack exchanged glances.

"I think I'll uh… hit the couch."

The Colonel nodded. "All right. Good night, s-Jack."

"Good night Sam."

Sam had only gone a few steps down the hallway when her brother's head peeked over the staircase. "Remember Sam," he whispered, "no hanky-"

He was dragged away by his wife. Sam groaned.

This was going to be a fun night.

----

Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and we'll try and get another chapter up ASAP!

Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

We're really sorry about the long delay! My younger sister was in critical condition after an accident, so things have been a little hectic lately. Good news though! She's much better and hopefully we'll be able to update really soon! If not... blame Morgann. (Blame Braelyn. It's her story.) We'll try to update soon!

**Chapter 7**

Sleep wasn't coming easily to Jack O'Neill tonight. Maybe it was because he was currently ensconced in the armchair.

Not that the armchair wasn't comfortable- as armchairs went, it was very comfortable, but for a man in late forties…

He squirmed as he tried to get comfortable.

It was going to be a long night.

-- --

Sam sighed as she stared at the clock before her. She'd been in bed for two hours but she was unable to fall asleep. Swinging her legs over her bed, she turned on the light. A moment later, she left the room; as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she was surprised to see the living room lamp on, and a certain General no longer on the couch, but the recliner.

"General?" She asked, moving over to him. "Wh- what's wrong?"

Jack blinked sleepily. "Carter…" He shook his head. "Sorry, I…" he gestured to the couch. "There are springs sticking out of the mattress. When I tried to close the bed into the couch, I jammed something." He shrugged. "The chair's not bad."

Carter knelt to examine the couch. A moment later, she pushed something and lifted the frame up. It closed. She replaced the cushions and turned to him, grinning.

"Not bad." He stood up; his knees audibly cracked. "Well, thank you Carter."

Sam eyed the couch. Her CO's 6' frame wouldn't be able to comfortably fit on the couch. "Sir," she started, "why don't you take the guest room? I'll take the couch."

"Nah, the couch is fine." He rocked on his heels. "Thanks for the offer though." He sat down on one of the ends. He smiled. A moment later, the end caved in.

"Sir!" She was at his side a second later. "Are you all right?"

He accepted her hand up. "What happened?"

She peeked at the couch. "I'm not sure, sir," she said slowly. "This couch is ancient though."

Jack glanced at the chair. "I missed it already."

She smiled. "Jack," she began hesitatingly, "if you want, you can sleep on the floor in the guest room- it's carpeted. I could probably find Mark's air mattress… it'd be more comfortable then sleeping on the chair."

Jack thought about it a moment before nodding. "Okay, thank you. My knee doesn't really seem to like this chair anyways." He pushed his blankets off of him and stood up.

"It's probably in the closet under the stairs, sir, " Sam whispered as she walked back down the hall into the darkness, followed closely by her CO. After rummaging through the closet for a few minutes, she triumphantly immerged with the air mattress and pump in hand.

"Good job, Carter."

"I thought we agreed you would call me Sam." She gave a small smile.

"You called me 'sir' first," he reminded. "Not to mention, it's an eight-year-old habit."

Sam nodded before making her way back into the guest bedroom. Ten minutes later, the mattress was ready and Jack settled in.

"Good night, Jack."

He adjusted his pillow and smiled faintly into the darkness. He wondered what a certain cop would say the next day when he found out where he had slept that night. "Night, Sam," he murmured.

Several minutes later, sounds of her even breathing filled the room. With another smile, Jack rolled over and was soon asleep.

-- --

Still in her pajamas and with a blanket pulled tightly around her shoulder, Emily quietly made her way down the stairs to watch cartoons, careful not to wake her parents and brother. It wasn't until she was at the bottom of the stairs that she remembered that Mr. O'Neill was in the living room where the TV was located.

_'Maybe he's awake,_' she thought hopefully as she peered around the corner into the living room. To her surprise, the couch was vacant and all the blankets were gone.

"Wow," she murmured aloud, "he gets up early."

Emily tiptoed to the kitchen; he wasn't in there either. With a shrug, the young girl made her way back to the couch, pulling her blanket around her as the television came to life. The TV started to show one of the _boring _morning shows her parents watched. Looking around, she soon saw the remote; it was next to her, but in danger of disappearing into the couch, thanks to the sunken seat.

"He _broke_ the sofa?"

Before she could giggle, she heard the creak of the guest room door opening. Feeling the childish urge to spy, she rolled off the sofa, got to her feet, and peeked around the corner.

Jack O'Neill immerged from her aunt's room and made his way to the bathroom, a pile of clothes in his hand. He disappeared into the room without seeing her.

Emily sank onto the couch, her eyes dancing. "Just friends, eh?" she murmured before turning to the cartoon channel, a grin on her face.

-- --

Feeling fresh from his quick shower, Jack quickly dressed. As he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard the quiet murmur of the TV. He hurriedly returned to the guest room, wincing as it creaked loudly. He let the air out of the mattress and picked up the pile of blankets he had folded earlier. Quietly he left, doing his best not to wake Sam.

Walking into the living room, he saw Emily cuddled on the sofa, her eyes fixed on the TV. Without looking at him, she said cheerfully, "Hi, Jack."

"Hello," he responded, dropping the pile of blankets onto the cushion next to her. "Whatcha watchin'?"

"A show."

"Mind if I watch?" he asked.

She grinned and scooted over. From what he could gather, the show was about an extremely clumsy girl named Lizzie McGuire and the scrapes she and her friends got into. The TV teenager was trying to sneak into her house when her aunt appeared, dressed, but with her hair uncombed. Jack had to suppress a grin at the sight of her fluffed hair.

"What are you doing up so early, Em?" she asked with a yawn.

Jack looked at his watch. "It's almost 0830, Ca-Sam."

"We 'most always sleep in on Sundays," Emily informed him as she turned up the volume. "But since Aunt Sam is here, everyone will be up before 9:00." She grinned at them. "Today's Christmas eve!" She turned off the television as her show ended. "Be right back."

Sam tugged on her long-sleeved blue t-shirt as she said down in the armchair. "I have to go Christmas shopping," she murmured. "I didn't bring anything with me- I didn't want to have to take it through the airport security."

"Understandable." Jack leaned back in the couch. "So let's go shopping."

"Now?"

"Not this second, but later."

She smiled. "Thank you, Jack."

He nodded. "Sam-"

"Good morning," a voice said behind him. Jack didn't need to look to know it was Mark. "How did you sleep?"

He rose to his feet. "I think I broke your couch," he said, gesturing to the sofa. Mark looked at him and reached down. He pulled on something and the cushion righted.

"All fixed."

Sam and Jack exchanged glances. "Right."

Mark stared at them. "If the couch was broken, where did you slee-"

"Breakfast, anyone?" Carol called from the stairs.

-- --

After his first bite of the homemade cinnamon roll Carol had served him, Jack decided that this Christmas, despite Carter's older brother, would be one of the best he had experienced in a long time.

He was happily enjoying his second one when Mark asked him, "So Jack… how'd you manage to break the couch?"

"Our couch broke on you?" Carol asked, aghast. "I'm so sorry! I've been telling Mark for years that we should replace that old thing but Mark… he loves that thing."

Jack looked at her, carefully avoiding meeting the cop's eye. He wasn't afraid of the police officer but… he was Jacob's son… "It was my fault," he answered. "I was trying to fold it back into a couch and something jammed."

"Why were you doing that?" Mark questioned.

"Mark." His wife gave him a warning glance. "I'm sorry, Jack. Did you sleep well?"

"Very well," he said with a quick glance at Carter who was slowly chewing on her pastry.

Emily snickered at Jack's response. Feeling everyone's gaze, she shrugged unconvincingly. "What?" she demanded as her father continued to stare at her. "I didn't say anything."

"It's what you aren't saying that concerns me," Mark said dryly.

The tween shot a covert look at Jack who looked rather uncomfortable. She wondered if she could blackmail him into buying her coffee. Aunt Sam would cave, she knew. Tossing her blond ponytail over her shoulder, she turned her wide blue eyes on her father. "Dad, it was just a laugh. Gosh."

Mark's eyes narrowed. Ignoring his wife's blatant tries to change the subject, he asked, doing his best to sound casual, "So, where'd you sleep if the couch broke down?"

Carol scowled but didn't say anything. It was pointless. Mark would continue to question the motives of every man who dared talk to his baby sister until the day he died.

Jack didn't blink as he said, "You have a great armchair."

Sam sipped her orange juice, torn between laughing at her brother's ridiculous behavior and kicking his ass. She decided to stand up. "That was delicious, Carol," she said with a smile at her sister-in-law. "If you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do."

Jack was out of his seat a second later. "Best cinnamon rolls I've ever had," he declared. "Thank you."

"Can I come?" Emily asked, sliding off her chair. "They're having a sale at the mall and there's this really cute shirt-"

"I think you have enough clothes, young lady," Carol cut in as she started clearing the table. "Derrick, help me?"

Emily batted her eyes at Jack. "_Pleeeasssee_?"

"Emily, I'm Christmas shopping," Sam answered as she picked up her purse. "If there's time later and it's okay with your mom, I'll take you then."

The young girl nodded but followed them to the door. "If you don't want dad to find out where Jack's sleeping," she whispered, "you might want to kick him out earlier."

Sam stared at her niece. "What are you talking about?"

Emily gave her a cheeky smile. "Have fun."

---

I hope you liked it!

Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

We have a myriad of excuses, but none of them seems good enough right now. We _promise_ we will update in a _much_ more timely fashion next time. Oh, to all of you who were asking about my sister: she's home and fully recovered! We received lots of PM's asking about her, so, thank you for those! It was nice to know other people were thinking about her.

We hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 8: And the hits just keep on comin'…**

Mark paced the room, looking pointedly from his watch to the digital clock that hung on the wall above the TV. "Where are they?"

Carol didn't look up from the magazine she was flipping through. "They've only been gone a few hours Mark," she answered patiently.

"_Exactly_," he muttered, standing in front of his wife. "Aren't you the least bit worried?"

She turned a page. "No."

"No?"

His wife sighed. "Mark," she began her exasperation clear, "they're both responsible adults. What kind of trouble could they get into?"

Mark started pacing again. "Who knows what kind of trouble they are getting into-"

"_Mark_!" When her startled husband stared at her, she said more calmly, "This has gone far enough. Samantha is a grown woman- she isn't a young naïve teenager and in need of protection. She can take care of herself."

"But-" he objected.

"Ah!"

"Carol-"

Carol shook her head decisively. "I don't want to hear anymore remarks regarding their sleeping arrangements, no more insinuations about Jack, or Sam, or anything to do with their personal lives. If she and Jack… well…" She saw the look on Mark's face and hurriedly continued, "It's her choice, her decision. She shouldn't feel the need to defend herself every time you open your mouth."

"But-"

"No but's."

"Caro-"

She picked up the magazine she had dropped earlier. "They're home, Mark," she said sweetly. "Why don't you go start a pot of coffee?"

He hesitated a second and then nodded. Leaning over, he kissed her on the cheek and wordlessly left. Satisfied, she smiled as the door opened and her sister-in-law stepped in, followed by her commanding officer.

"How did the shopping go?" she asked.

Sam looked around her. "Um, fine," she said, looking slightly surprised at the absence of her brother, "we have stuff for everyone. Sorry we weren't back for lunch-"

"No problem," Carol interrupted. "I'm glad you guys had fun."

Jack held up a few bags, a roll of wrapping paper protruding from the top of one of them. "Is there a place we can wrap these?"

"In here!" Emily called from the staircase. "In my room!"

"No, mine!" Derrick appeared at the bottom of the staircase. "As long as I can see Emmy's gift first!"

"Guest room." Carol rose to her feet. "Need any tape?"

Sam gestured to the bag over her arm. "I come prepared." She glanced around the room. "Uh… where's Mark?"

"In the kitchen." Carol gave Sam a small meaningful smile. "He thought he might have been… _crowding _you earlier."

The Colonel grinned back and mouthed 'Thank you'. Turning to her CO, she asked, "Ready to wrap, sir?"

**- - - **

"Can you give me those scissors, sir?"

"Sam…"

"Sorry! Jack." She mentally wondered how he was so easily able to switch from calling her 'Carter' to 'Sam'. It wasn't like he stayed up all night practicing saying her name…

The Colonel smiled and handed over the pair of orange shears. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Sam said, placing them between the paper; she carefully cut across the Christmas print paper. Grabbing several pieces of tape, she began to fold the paper around a plain white box, each seam perfectly matched with each others.

Jack stared as he watched Carter work. It was still unusual to see her so… relaxed. "You're really good at this."

Sam looked up and flashed him a bright smile. "I love wrapping gifts. When I was younger, I had a business."

"Wrapping gifts?"

"Yep."

Jack sorted through the bows. "You know that that is one of the very few things I know about your childhood."

Sam rolled her eyes and turned her attention back on the gift. "There isn't much to know about."

Jack left it at that; changing the subject he took the scissors back. "So, what did you get for your family anyways?"

"I bought Emily and Derrick both mall gift certificates- I wasn't sure what they'd want so I decided this was the safest thing. Mark and Carol…" A mischievous smile spread across her face. "Mark and Carol are getting ballroom lessons. _Carol_ has always wanted to try it."

Jack nodded and grinned. He loved Carter's devious streak. "Good idea. Gift certificates for everyone, no one could complain about that." He started to cut the wrapping paper. " What about dad? I seriously doubt the Tok'ra have a Shop-R-Us that you can buy a gift card for."

Sam smiled and carefully positioned a bow on top of the package. "Nope. I got him socks."

"… Socks?"

"Socks," she confirmed. "That's what he said he wanted. He doesn't like the kind the Tok'ra use- if you could even call those things socks. Long, itchy and hot. So, socks."

"Oh. Didn't think about that." He tossed aside the piece of paper and began to cut a new one. Carter watched a moment and then began,

"Sir, you're going to waste paper."

"Don't worry- I've got plenty."

Sam crossed her arms as she watched the Colonel 'wrap' up his box, sloppily taping each of the sides up before adding the ribbon and bows. "Jack," she interrupted. "Do you want me to help you with that?"

Jack looked up. "What? You don't think this looks nice?"

"No, it's not that, I just-"

"Carter, I know how to wrap a box in paper. It's something I've been doing for a very long time now." He slapped on the bows and tossed it across the bed. "That _was_ your present but Daniel gets it now.

"I didn't mean to sound rude, sir, I just thought you might want… some help." Her cheeks were turning pink.

_Ha_! Score for him. She rarely fell for grumpy General act. "I'm just messing with you," he admitted.

Sam smiled. "I know that, I was just…" she trailed off. "What did you buy, Jack?"

"Oh. I didn't know what your family would want… I looked through their game closet and noticed they didn't have one of the coolest games ever to exist to mankind." He grinned mysteriously as he pulled a package out of a bag.

Sam leaned over to look at the title. "Apples to Apples?" She questioned, raising a brow.

"You've never heard of it?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "Cassie's favorite board game- after chess, that is."

She shook her head.

"Okay, that's it. We're playing it next team night."

Sam laughed. "Okay. If Jack O'Neill likes it, it has to be good."

He gave her a childish look of pride.

"Can you hand me the scissors, Jack?"

----

Emily peered around the corner; her aunt sat on the couch, aimlessly flipping through one of her mom's catalogs. Dropping next to her, she inquired innocently, "So, what did you get me?"

"Nice try Em," her aunt said absently. "I'm not going to tell you and_ don't_ think you can worm out of General- Jack."

"I won't have to."

Sam gave her niece a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"You owe me one."

."I… _what_?" the Colonel questioned. "For what?"

"I didn't tell daddy that Jack slept in your room."

Sam's brows shot to heights that would've made Teal'c's envious. "So what you're saying is-"

"Is that in exchange for a simple answer, I won't tell dad." Emily gave her aunt a sweet smile. "I'll let you think about it." And with that, she stood up to leave the room.

Carter stared after her niece. Clad in a long sleeved pink t-shirt and blue jeans, she looked younger than her twelve years.

"Damn," she muttered.

"Anything wrong?" Carol inquired from the opposite doorway. Sam, startled, hastily answered,

"No, I was just…" She gestured to the bowl Carol held. "What're you making?"

"Just cookies." Her sister-in-law looked down and added ruefully, "I should be able to bake this apron- I don't know how I managed to cover myself with flour every year but I do."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Yes," Carol said rather quickly. She loved Sam but after the fire department four years ago… "We've got it. Thanks though."

Sam nodded and watched her return to the kitchen. She picked up the magazine but dropped it a moment later. Despite what Carol had said to Mark, she knew her brother would be very, very upset to find out her commanding officer had slept in her room despite the fact that nothing had happened. It'd be Jimmy Williams all over again, except for this time she was in her thirties, not her teens.

"Who's Jimmy Williams?"

She glanced up, startled. Jack was standing in the hallway, giving her a quizzical look. "I beg your pardon?"

"You just said it'd be like Jimmy Williams all over again," he answered. "Who's Jimmy Williams?"

"He was a friend of mine when I was younger," she murmured, suddenly finding the cover of the abandoned magazine fascinating.

"A _boyfriend_?"

She knew she was blushing. "Only until he met Mark. Between Mark and dad, poor Jimmy couldn't even look at me until we were seniors."

"High school?"

"Academy."

"Wow."

She grimaced. "Yeah."

Jack lowered himself into the chair across from her. "What's up with Emily? She's walking around looking like the cat who ate the canary."

"Oh boy," Sam murmured. "I forgot to say anything earlier but… Emily saw you coming out of the guest room earlier."

"Ahh…" He nodded slowly. "I see."

"Yep."

"What does she want for her silence?"

Sam shrugged. "What she's getting for Christmas."

"That's it?" Jack leaned back in his chair. "Someone isn't very good at blackmailing. She'll find out tomorrow."

"Sir, this is Emily. She'll start with that and then weasel me into tinkering with her go-cart."

"What's wrong with that?" he inquired.

"I promised Mark I wouldn't after the last time." She saw his curious look and shook her head. "Long story."

"I wouldn't worry about Em… she doesn't strike me as the type of kid who'd tattle on her favorite aunt."

Sam slowly nodded. "Maybe," she said slowly. "I guess we'll find out."

----

_Ding-dong. _

Jack looked up from the video game, causing his car to skid into a tree. He looked over at Derrick and Emily who seemed glued to the TV as they raced each other for first place. Setting the controller down, he stood up, expecting Mark or Carol to answer the door.

_Ding-dong. _

Not seeing anyone, he reluctantly rose to his feet. After a quick glance in the kitchen to make sure none of the Carter adults were around, he pulled the door open. Standing outside in the cold was an elderly couple with several bags in their hands and big smiles plastered across their faces. "…Hi…"

The lady gave him a questioning glance. "Who are you? And what are you at my daughter's house?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He tried again but was cut off by the arrival of Sam. "Mr. and Mrs. Bishop," she exclaimed, surprised. "It's been a long time! Carol didn't tell me that you were-"

"Are you going to invite us in?" the woman interrupted querulously.

She hastily stepped back, "Sorry, come in."

"I didn't know you were going to be here this year, Samantha," 'Mrs. Bishop' started as she entered the house. "Was this sudden?"

"Mark managed to talk me into it." She shut the door behind her. "So what about you? What are you two doing here?"

The woman didn't bother answering Sam; her eyes were locked onto the General. "Who are you?"

Jack looked a little cornered. "Me? Um, I am… I-"

"He's a very good friend of mine," Sam supplied. "He wasn't doing anything this Christmas so I thought he would enjoy this."

"Why Samantha, dear, it's about time you got yourself a boyfriend. I kept telling Mark it wasn't healthy for a young, attractive woman like you to not have a man in your life. He must have talked to you, hmm?" Carol's mother began, "I-"

"No, no, Mrs. Bishop," Sam interrupted hastily. "He's just a friend, we-"

"I'm sure he must have. Or did Carol? We've talked about how to set you up with some fine men. My neighbor, Mrs. Perry, has a son who is single and I was considering sending you his phone number, but since you already have-"

"Mrs. Bishop!" Sam snapped. She took a deep friend and added, "He's just a friend. We work together."

"Fine," she said with a sniff, "Very well, keep your secret." She looked behind her at her husband who had been calmly removing his outer garments, apparently not listening to her. "Are you coming, Anthony?"

"I'll be there in a minute, Cheryl. Go ahead and see the children." He turned to Jack. "Anthony Bishop," he said, holding out his hand as he spoke.

"Jack O'Neill."

Anthony Bishop nodded. "And Samantha… it's lovely to see you."

"Thank you-"

"Anthony," Cheryl called. "Come look how the children have grown! And Samantha, bring your nice man in here- I want to talk to him some more."

Sam sent Jack a apologetic look before following her sister-in-law's father into the living room.

Jack let out a long breath. And he thought Mark would be the only one who could spoil this Christmas…

----

"Gram, it is so good to see you," Emily enthused as she reached for a second helping of dessert. "Mom said you wouldn't be coming this year."

"My dear girl, it was a surprise. If I had told your mother that would have spoiled the whole plan, now wouldn't it?" Cheryl Bishop said, smiling over at her granddaughter.

"Yes, well, mom, next time, a little more warning might be nice. We don't even have a guest room to put you in," Carol informed her mother as she reduced her slice of pie to apple mush. She clearly did not appreciate her parents dropping by unannounced.

"It doesn't matter," her mother replied. "I'm sure you'll have it ready by the time we are ready to retire."

Anthony Bishop shook his head slightly as he tasted the mashed potatoes. "These are very good, Carol."

"Thank you, dad."

"So… Cheryl…" Mark began reluctantly, "How long are you staying?"

"Oh, just for a few days. We thought we'd spend Christmas with our only daughter."

Mark nodded slowly. "That's great," he murmured rather unconvincingly.

"It was a big surprise to me to see your sister here, Mark," Cheryl reproved. "You should have told me she was coming. But I'm very happy for her. After all these years of being single, she finally finds a man." She smiled at Jack before continuing, "And a very handsome one at that too."

"Mrs. Bishop, I already told you," Sam started in a strained voice, "We're not dating- in fact, he's my commanding officer. We're just friends-"

"Yes, well, that's what everyone always says before they get married." Cheryl shook her head and turned to her daughter. "Carol, you've barely uttered a word- are you all right?"

Carol looked up from her food. "Yes, mom, I'm fine. Just haven't really had a chance to talk."

"There's no reason to be rude."

"I'm not trying to be."

"Why don't we all go into the living and play a game, eh?" Anthony suggested, setting down his napkin and rising to his feet. "I recollect we had a wonderful time last year."

"Dibs on Mrs. Peacock!" Emily cried, slipping off her chair.

"We played Clue last year!" Derrick complained, following after his sister. "I wanna…" his complaint faded away as he disappeared from view.

"Aren't you coming, Carol?" her mother questioned.

"You all go ahead," Carol said, picking up her plate. "I'll stay here and clean up."

"No, you shouldn't be doing housework by yourself on Christmas eve. Samantha can help you."

Though annoyed by Cheryl's calm order, Sam was quickly deciding she'd rather avoid game night with her brother's in-laws. "Why don't you go with your family- I'll clear up."

"No, Sam, really, it's o-"

"That is an excellent idea, Samantha," Cheryl said approvingly. "Your _friend_ can help you with the dishes."

"Mom!" Carol exhaled sharply. "They are my guests-"

"It's fine, Carol," Jack cut in. "Carter and I can finish up."

The grandmother smiled triumphantly. "Put away the food, Carol, and meet us in the living room."

Carol sank into her chair after her mother had gone from sight. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, looking helplessly at the two. "I-"

"It's okay," Sam reassured her. "Really. I don't mind."

She carried the remains of their dinner to the kitchen and hastily bagged it. "Normally she gives us warning when they plan on arriving but-"

"Carol, are you waiting for me to die of old age?" Cheryl called.

"God, I hate Christmas." With an apologetic look, she disappeared, leaving Sam and Jack alone.

He whistled. "Wow."

Sam nodded. "Yeah." Shaking her head slightly, she made her way to the sink and began to fill it with water. "You don't have to help, Jack. I don't mind doing it alone."

"No," Jack said, carefully gathering up all glasses. "It's fine. If it saves me from having to listen to Cheryl…" he shrugged and disappeared, reappearing a minute later with the remainder of the dishes.

Sam winced. "I'm sorry about the whole boyfriend stuff. She didn't mean anything by it. She's just… Cheryl."

"Ah! You don't have to apologize for her, Carter." He scraped the food off the plates and passed them to her. She lowered them into the sudsy sink.

"I know." She reached for the glasses. "I just… I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable."

"No sweat." He rolled up his sleeves. After a brief hesitation, he started rinsing the few dishes Carter had washed.

_This is cozy_.

Sam met his eyes. "Thank you for coming with me, Jack."

"Any time," he said sincerely. "Any time."

A small smile blossomed across her face. "I wonder-"

Her phone began ringing. With a silent sigh, she rinsed and dried her arms and dug into her pocket. "Carter."

"_Aunt Sam! How's it going_?"

'Cassie' Sam mouthed to her CO who was watching. He nodded and turned back to the dishes. "Hey! It's… going fine. How are you?"

"_I'm great! I got to come home, which was terrific, and mom said that you'd be back before I had to leave, so, I'll get to see you_."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"_So_…"

"So?" Sam dropped a handful of cutlery into the warm water, quickly moving back before the water could hit her; it splashed across Jack's shirt. Her eyes widened. Covering the phone piece, she whispered, "Sir, I'm so sor-"

He raised his hand. "Fair is fair…"

Before she could duck, a soapy wave of water hit her. A startled exclamation escaped her.

"_Aunt Sam? Are you okay?_"

"I'm fine," she managed a moment. "Just… got some water on me. I'm fine, really."

"_Okay. Listen, I'd love to talk more, but mom wants to say something. Merry Christmas, Sam_!"

"Tell her hi from me," Jack requested, keeping a wary eye on her.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie. Jack says hi."

There was a moment's silence. "_Jack?_"

"General O'Neill," Sam reminded her.

"_I know who he is. You called him_ Jack."

"So?"

"_You called him_-"

"Hand the phone to your mother." Sam ordered.

"_Sam_?" Janet questioned. "_Is it you_?"

"Of course."

"_Sorry, but I thought Cassie was saying Jack_-"

"Cassie said you wanted to speak to me?" she questioned, trying to steer to safer ground.

"_I was just going to ask how everything was_."

Sam pulled at her damp top. With a frown at her CO who was washing dishes like a model man, she answered, "All right. No problems so far."

"_So your brother didn't kill him like you thought he would_?"

"So far… no." Sam starting wiping down the granite counters. "How's everything at the S.G.C?"

"_I haven't been back since this morning- Dr. Lane is filling in for me_." There was a sound of a doorbell in the background. "_Get it, Cass_?"

Sam strained to hear. "Wait," she said a few seconds later, "is that _Daniel_ that just came?"

"_I need to go, Sam. Merry Christmas_."

She slowly closed her phone. "Merry Christmas to you too."

"What's up?" Jack inquired.

"Sir," she began slowly, "you don't know if Daniel is… seeing… anyone… do you?"

"Daniel?" Jack shook his head. "Nope. Not that I know of."

"I could've sworn I heard him right before Janet hung up…" she shook her head slightly. "Must've just been imagining." She smiled at him. "Thank you for finishing the dishes."

"You're wel-" He quickly evaded the cup of water hurled at him. "Hey-"

"Fair is fair," she reminded him, filling up her cup again. Before she could toss it in his general direction, Jack gestured to the floor. Carol's new wood floor had puddle of sudsy water all over it.

Sam wordlessly placed the cup back into the sink and started across the kitchen. "Carol keeps the towels in-"

Her foot slipped on a pile of bubbles. Instinctively, she reached out for the first solid thing-, which happened to be her commanding officer. Jack tried to help but as he stepped forward, he slipped in the water, sending him on the ground with her on top.

"Déjà vu," he murmured once he got his breath back.

She let out a shaky breath. "Yes, sir."

Jack wasn't sure if it was him, but she seemed to be leaning closer…

"What the hell is going on here?"

Sam's eyes flew to the doorway. "_Dad?_

_----_

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

I know it's been a long time since my sister and I have updated either of our stories. Things have been beyond hectic here! We're writing the next chapter now, so hopefully we'll have it soon. Thank you so much for the reviews! We were very surprised (and very happy) at all the awesome feedback we got!

**Chapter 9: A full house**

**---**

_"__What the hell is going on here?"_

_Sam's eyes flew to the doorway. "Dad?_

**---**

Jack made a mental note to make sure the next time a certain someone invited him to her brother's house for Christmas that it would be _just _her brother, his family and the two of them. _No _unannounced relatives. Jacob had only entered the Carter House a few moments ago, Jack was sure it was already Easter.

He shot a surreptitious glance at his second-in-command. Damp and pink, the Colonel was carefully avoiding both his and her father's eyes as she used a towel to sponge off a bit of the water.

"This… this isn't what it looks like," Jack began awkwardly. "We were-"

"Doing dishes," Sam said quickly. "And uh…"

"We spilled water-"

"I slipped-"

"She grabbed me-"

"And we fell-"

"And…" Sam trailed off. "Good to see you, dad," she said weakly.

"Sam," her dad interrupted, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"I didn't think you were coming this year- you _did_ radio in and say that the Tok'ra needed you to go on a mission-"

"Excuse us, Jack," Jacob said, grasping his daughter's arm. "We'll be right back." He grabbed her coat off the coat rack as they stepped out into cold evening. "Sam," he asked without preliminaries, "What is General O'Neill doing here?"

She pulled her coat around her. "Dad, we're _friends_- nothing more. He wasn't doing anything this Christmas, and I thought it'd be polite to ask him to come. If I knew what a fuss everyone would make of it, I wouldn't have."

"What are you talking about?" Jacob asked, his eyebrows rising with surprise.

"I am so sick and tired of _everyone _telling me how I should live my life! It's _my_ life! Not yours! Why does everyone have to judge me- my life?"

"Sam," Jacob began cautiously after a moment, "I wasn't judging you. I was simply curious why he was here. Whether you brought the General here as a friend or maybe…" he swallowed, "maybe as something more, that's fine. It's up to you. I just wanted to say… I'm proud of you."

Sam bit her lip, feeling a little guilty for yelling at her father. "Why?" she asked after a moment.

Looking into her bright blue eyes, he answered with a small smile, "I am proud of you for so many reasons, Sammie, but what I am most proud of is how you risk your life to save the world everyday." He sighed. "I just want you to be happy, Sam."

"Dad," Sam started, touched, "I _am_ happy."

Jacob shook his head. "No, Sam, you're content. There's a difference." He hesitated and then pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you, dad," she whispered a moment later.

"No problem, kiddo." Jacob replied, stepping away. "Now, why don't we go see that brother of yours?"

Sam nodded and stepped into the living room.

**---**

_They're just friends… friends…_

He tried to calm himself down as he remembered the state they had found them in. After all, Selmak reminded him, it's not like he didn't want his daughter to be happy. O'Neill, Selmak continued, was a good, suitable man.

Except for _his_ daughter. If that man couldn't see love right in front of him for eight years, he didn't deserve someone as good as Sam.

Just_ friends…_

They were on the floor together! Who knows what would've happened if he hadn't walked in? They could've-

Jacob stopped thinking about that right there. He didn't really want to think about that. After all, Sam was old enough to know what she was doing. She wouldn't have done anything foolish- especially with Mark and his family in the next room.

Maybe he should have a talk with Jack…

"Dad! Are you coming?"

Jacob pulled himself back into reality. His daughter was peeking around the door, giving him a quizzical glance. "What?"

"Are you okay, dad?" Sam asked. "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

Jacob smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine."

Sam hesitated before looking back into the living room. "I should warn you- Carol's parents are here."

The Tok'ra stopped in his tracks.

"Dad," Sam said with a small laugh. "Come on, they're not _that_ bad…"

**-- --**

"_Grandpa!_" Two excited children called, hurrying towards their grandfather. "You made it!"

"Jacob?" Cheryl Bishop rose to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Want something to drink, Grandpa?" Emily asked eagerly. "Water, soda, coffee…?"

He smiled at her. "Some water, sweetheart."

Emily dimpled and half-skipped out of the room, followed closely by her brother.

"What are you doing here, Jacob?" Cheryl 'asked' again.

"Came to spend Christmas with the family," he answered her without enthusiasm. "I didn't know you'd be here."

"Neither did we," she retorted.

"It's nice to see you," Jacob muttered after a moment's silence and a meaningful glance from his daughter.

Cheryl laid down her playing cards and stiffly nodded. "Yes… and to see you."

Mark stood up. "I'm glad you could come, dad."

"Sorry about just showing up," Jacob said, turning to his daughter-in-law. "I found out I could come at the last min-"

"Don't apologize," Carol insisted, giving him a quick hug. "We're _always_ glad to see you."

"Indeed." Anthony grinned. "We older men need to stick together."

Carol's mother scowled at her husband who seemed unperturbed. After a moment, she spotted Jack who had slipped in only moments ago. "Jacob," she began slowly, "Have you met Samantha's new boyfriend?"

Jacob barely glanced at his daughter before answering lightly, "Jack? I've known him for years."

"Oh." Cheryl fixed her eyes on Sam. "It's been going on for years? Samantha, the last time we talked, you said you weren't dating anyone."

Sam silently sighed. "I wasn't- not," she corrected. "Jack and I are not dating now."

"I don't see why you're trying to hide it," Cheryl muttered. "It's not like he's anything to be ashamed of. And it's obvious the two of you are deeply attracted to each other- they can't stop looking at each other."

"Cheryl!" Anthony reprimanded as everyone automatically glanced at the couple. "Leave them be."

"Mom, drop it!" Carol snapped, massaging her forehead as she spoke. "Please?"

"Fine." Her mother sniffed and picked up her playing cards. Carol studied her mother for a moment and then began with a sigh,

"Mom, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"No, no- I understand." Mrs. Bishop said, waving her off. "Next time you invite me over, why don't you include a note saying that I can't have a casual conversation? Tell me, Carol, what may I talk about? Can I say 'hello' to Samantha?"

Carol rolled her eyes. "First of all, I didn't invite you- I didn't even know you were going to be here this year! And second, I would say this conversation is _far_ from casual! You've been attacking poor Sam the moment you got here. Can you just leave this topic alone so we can _try_ to enjoy the remainder of this Christmas?"

Sam sank deeper into the small loveseat.

"Very well. Carol, would you like to start the conversation?"

There was a long period of silence before Anthony muttered somewhat uncomfortably, "How 'bout them Dodgers?"

----

Jack didn't think he had been so relieved to hear a simple word before.

_Bedtime_.

Carol had disappeared twenty minutes ago to make up the guest room for her parents. When she had shown her parents the room, Cheryl had made little remarks about the hardness of the mattress and general comments about the room until Carol, with gritted teeth, offered her own room. Sam, with many apologies, was moved into Emily's room; Derrick was sent downstairs to sleep on the couch, leaving his bedroom for Jack and Jacob.

"I am so sorry," Sam whispered as they stood in the hallway. Reaching for her cell phone, she continued, "We could call a hotel and see-"

"It's fine Carter," Jack said easily, gesturing for "It's not like your father and I haven't slept together before."

Sam arched an eyebrow as she tried to repress her giggles.

"No!" He said belatedly, "I mean, when we're on missions for the Tok- you know that I-"

"Of course sir." She gave him a demure smile. "After all- you're not his type."

Jack did a double take, causing Sam to release her laughter. As he watched her, a small smile spread across his face. "What is his type?"

"Short. Thin. Hairy."

"So, Teal'c?"

Another giggle escaped her. "Exactly, sir," she agreed with as serious face as she could muster.

There was a moment of companionable silence, which was broken when the bathroom door swung open and Derrick immerged. They realized simultaneously how close they were and stepped back. "I'll uh... see you later, sir," Sam began, slipping around her nephew.

He nodded. "Night, Sam."

She looked over he shoulder. "Good night… Jack." She disappeared into the bathroom.

Derrick glanced at the closed door and then at the man he aunt had brought with her. "You really like her," he cheerfully informed the General. "Night."

**- - -**

Silence.

Jack generally welcomed it. For the most part, it meant peace, quiet. Things he liked.

Right now, the silence in the bedroom was suffocating him.

"How was the flight?"

There was a grunt from the Tok'ra on the bed.

"Tok'ra doin' okay?"

"We both know you don't care how the Tok'ra are," came Jacob's bemused reply. Jack didn't bother to deny it. In his opinion, the Tok'ra were trouble with a capital T.

"Is the something you want to talk about, Jack?"

"Nope."

There was another long period of silence. "So… you retired now, O'Neill?"

"Not to my knowledge," Jack answered slowly.

"No? What about Sam? Did she forget to mention the fact that she had resigned?"

Jack saw where this was heading. "Jacob-"

"I will _not_ let you continue something that could potentially lead-"

"You've got the wrong-"

"-to a court martial!"

"Jacob-"

"I'd advise against speaking," Selmak's deeper voice warned him. "My host is very upset."

"Tell him that Carter and I aren't doing anything against the regs!" Jack pleaded desperately. Jacob had once casually mentioned that the Tok'ra knew ten ways to kill someone without leaving a mark, and he didn't plan on being a test subject.

"Why have you accompanied Colonel Carter to her family's house?"

"Mark was trying to set her up with some guy. She thought by bringing someone, she'd escape another set-up-"

"And she picked you," Selmak finished.

"I was the last guy she asked," Jack rather reluctantly informed the Tok'ra. He would never have admitted it, but Carter's decision to invite him last hurt him a little. She asked _Siler_ before approaching him. _Siler_. "Nothing's going on, Jake."

Both symbiote and host were quiet.

"All I want is for Sam to be happy," Jacob said suddenly. "I don't want her to get hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt her."

"Good. Nice chatting with you."

Jack let his head hit the air mattress with a thud. Who knew what the morning would bring?

**---**

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